


Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

by quellthefire



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, And they were neighbors!, Fluff, M/M, Miscommunication, Neighbors AU, PTSD, Steve is clueless, Stucky - Freeform, Teacher!Steve, They were neighbors the whole time!, Veteran!Bucky, Veteran!Steve, Veterans, no powers au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 05:35:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17677385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quellthefire/pseuds/quellthefire
Summary: ‘Steve opened the door to his apartment, fully prepared to walk across the hallway and have it out with his jerk of a neighbor who couldn’t get his dog to stop barking. He hadn’t met the man yet, but so far they weren’t off to a great start.’Steve Rogers just wants some peace and  quiet so he can finally sleep, but when a handsome stranger shows up at his door, he forgets all about his mission to yell at the neighbor. He befriends Bucky, wanting to help ease his transition into civilian life, but there’s something right in front of him that he doesn’t see...





	Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

**Author's Note:**

> The inspiration for this was the prompt quote “Well, this is awkward.” And I couldn’t resist doing a neighbors/enemies to lovers AU where Steve doesn’t know who his enemy actually is. Also how can anyone resist making a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood joke in this kinda AU? So I just rolled with it, thus the title. 
> 
> Hope you like this first installment, not sure how many chapters this’ll end up being, but I have big plans!

Steve opened the door to his apartment, fully prepared to walk across the hallway and have it out with his jerk of a neighbor who couldn’t get his dog to stop barking. He hadn’t met the man yet, but so far they weren’t off to a great start. 

It was 2 am on a Saturday night and he’d not gotten more than 4 hours of sleep each night ever since that guy had moved in. He was utterly exhausted.

Normally he wasn’t a confrontational person. He’d worked out his differences with the woman above him who did vocal warm-ups at 7 am by inviting her over for coffee and bringing it up once they’d gotten to know each other. 

But this was different. He hadn’t slept properly for a week, and with midterms coming up, his students were getting extra rambunctious in class, eager to be on break. 

He opened his apartment door, readying himself for what he’d say, and realized there was a man standing in front of his door, about to knock. He nearly crashed into the stranger, but pulled back at the last moment. 

“Well, this is awkward.”

The man was tall, not quite as much as Steve, but he had dark hair and eyes, and a gorgeous face. Steve didn’t know who he was, but he was momentarily transfixed by his stare. 

“Why were you knocking on my door at 2 in the morning?”

“Technically I hadn’t yet,” the man replied coolly. He was absolutely breathtaking, and the snark, though annoying, was a little bit charming Steve had to admit. He continued, “Why were you barreling out of your apartment at 2 in the morning? You looked like you were on a mission to kill someone.”

Steve couldn’t help the sheepish expression that passed over his face. He really didn’t want to have to explain that he was so sleep deprived he was about to yell at a complete stranger. 

He was a terrible liar though, and didn’t know what to say on the spot. Steve winced slightly and finally admitted, “The new guy across the hall has a dog that barks at all hours of the night, and it’s driving me up a wall. I just need to get some sleep.”

A moment of surprise flashed on the dark haired man’s face and he replied, “Yeah, that guy sounds like an asshole.”

“Yes! I mean, I love dogs, and I understand that they get stressed out and bark, but I just need to get some sleep. And I don’t even think he’s aware of how loud it is. What kind of jerk doesn’t think about that when they move into an apartment complex? It’s like he doesn’t care about anyone else!” Steve could feel his face getting flushed, redness rising from his neck to his cheeks. This always happened when he got riled up. It certainly didn’t help that the man in front of him was sexy as hell in a ‘kick your ass and make you thank him for it’ kind of way. 

“Total ass,” was the stranger’s only response. 

“Anyway, what are you doing at my door?” 

The man looked flummoxed for a moment, and then gave Steve a broad grin, “I ran out of butter for the mac and cheese I was making, and I didn’t realize how late it was. I was hoping to borrow some. No wonder no one else opened their doors. They probably thought I was a crazy person.” 

“You’re telling me you’re not?”

“Well, that’s not the main reason I would be, at least.” 

Steve smirked in reply. For some reason it was easy talking to him. It felt comfortable, this back and forth. Like they’d known each other for a while. This had to be part of the exhaustion, Steve reasoned. 

“I’m Bucky, by the way,” the man jutted out his hand confidently. “I figured since I interrupted your mission I should at least introduce myself.”

“Steve Rogers, I’m an art teacher at Northwest High.”

Bucky whistled approvingly and nodded. “I’d have taken you for ex-military, like me.”

“I am, just been out of it long enough.” Steve didn’t like talking about that part of his past. He’d spent years trying to undo all the training he’d received, and getting the job as a high school art teacher had helped a lot. 

“This is my first month back into civilian life. It’s been a little rocky. I thought it’d be easier than this.” There was weariness in his eyes. 

Steve nodded sympathetically. “It gets easier, over time, but there’s always some pitfalls. You’re welcome to come talk to me about it, anytime.” Why was he offering this? He wouldn’t talk about his years in the Army to anyone. But Bucky was clearly in over his head, and he felt an obligation to help someone who was struggling with what he had gone through. “You said you needed butter right?” He called out as he started walking to his fridge. “How much?” 

“Is a whole stick too much?”

“Jesus man, how much are you making?” Steve peered up from behind the fridge door he was crouching over. 

“Just the one box. What can I say, I’m a slut for butter?”

That made Steve laugh, caught off guard by how casually Bucky had said it. 

“I’ll say,” was Steve’s response. But he dutifully opened up a brand new package and tossed Bucky one of the bars. 

“Thanks man, I’ll bring one back in return once I get a chance to go grocery shopping.” He looked appreciative and easy going. It was a good look on him. 

“Nah, just come have coffee with me some afternoon. We can talk about how the transition is going for you. I usually get home by 4 on weekdays, except for Tuesdays when I’m advising the Mural Painting club.”

Bucky looked relieved, “That sounds great. How about Monday? I should be free then.”

“It’s a date.” Steve said it without thinking, and could feel the blush rising again as he realized what he’d said. But Bucky didn’t seem to have noticed anything, and just smiled gratefully. 

He made his way to leave the apartment, but then saw Steve wave and move to close the door after him. Bucky turned and asked “Didn’t you need to have it out with the asshole across the hall about his dog?” There was a wry smile, like he was in on a joke or something.

“Not tonight,” Steve breathed tiredly. “I shouldn’t get off on the wrong foot with him, and barreling in to yell at him right now would make me as much of a dick as he is. Besides, the barking finally stopped, and I’m sure I’ll get a chance to meet him soon.” Steve shrugged. 

Bucky’s smile deepened, crinkling at the corners of his eyes. 

“Sounds like a good plan, first impressions are everything. Night Steve, thanks for the butter.”

“Night Bucky, it was nice meeting you.”

Steve closed his door softly, leaning his back against it, and sighed. He wasn’t sure he was ready to talk to anyone about what he’d gone through, but it was clear Bucky needed someone who understood. Steve knew it was the right thing to do, even if it made him uncomfortable as hell. Besides, the man was gorgeous. At least he’d have something to daydream about when the kids were nagging him about extra credit before midterm grades got submitted. 

 

In the hallway, James “Bucky” Barnes leaned against the wall, thoughts flashing through his mind. He thought Steve knew who he was when he was first talking about the asshole across the hall. He thought it was joke they were both in on. But then they’d gotten to talking, and Steve had been so generous to offer to help him. And he’d realized Steve had no idea who he was, thought he was a random neighbor down the hall probably. By that point he was in too deep.

It would have been horribly awkward to fess up, he reasoned. It would clear up eventually. He’d go over to Steve’s on Monday and have coffee, and at some point in the next week they’d probably run into each other in the hall and Steve would figure it out. He’d probably be pissed that Bucky didn’t fess up tonight, but at least he’d get a chance to get advice from Steve before he realized. This was the easiest way, he thought to himself. ‘It’s not like we’re friends or anything, he just feels bad for me, and I could really use the advice,’ he told himself. 

And with another tired sigh, he turned the key to open his apartment door, right across from Steve Rogers’.

**Author's Note:**

> The “I’m a slut for butter” was totally a rip off from the friend who introduced me to the MCU. She once told me “I’m a slut for crab rangoon” and I knew I needed to incorporate that sentiment into a fic at some point.


End file.
